Previous Year: Long Questions With Answers - Discovering Tut: the Saga Continues | English Class 11 PDF Download

Q. 1. How has Tut’s mummy fascinated the scientists and commoners alike over the previous decades?
Ans. King Tutankhamun was the last Pharoah left of his line. His funeral marked the end of a dynasty. He was laid to rest laden with gold as the royals in Tut’s time were extremely wealthy and thought they could take their riches with them. His tomb was discovered by Howard Carter, an English archaeologist in 1922, more than 3000 years after his death. The rich royal collection of jewellery and golden artifacts fascinated Carter. Visitors thronged the boy King’s tomb. The particulars of King Tut’s death and its aftermath are not clear. He revealed a startling fact. The breastbone and front ribs of Tut were missing. On 5th January, 2005 a CT scan was done to obtain precise data for an accurate forensic reconstruction of King Tut. It was hoped that it would offer new clues about his life and death. Thus Tut’s mummy has been the centre of fascination throughout the previous decades.

Q. 2. Who was King Tut? What happened when his mummy was being CT scanned? What did the tourists do?
Ans. King Tut was just a teenager when he died. He was the last heir of a powerful family that ruled Egypt and its empire for centuries. He was laid to rest laden with gold and forgotten. In 1922, Howard Carter discovered his mummy and startling facts about him came to light. When his mummy was CT scanned on January 5, 2005, an angry wind began to blow. Dark clouds appeared in the sky. The tourists gazed at the murals on the walls in his burial chamber. They peered at the gilded face. Some tourists stood silently. They wondered if the Pharaoh’s curse-death or misfortune falling upon those who disturbed him–was really true. But except a change in the weather nothing happened.

Q. 3. What problems did Howard Carter face in regard to King Tut’s mummy? What did he do to solve them?
Ans. At last Howard Carter, the British archaeologist, discovered King Tut’s burial chamber and his gold coffin in 1922. When he opened the last coffin, he found that the ritual resins had hardened. It had cemented Tut to the bottom of his solid gold coffin. He tried to loosen it by putting the mummy in thescorching sunshine. But it did not happen. Then he said the material had to be chiseled away from beneath the limbs and trunk. It was to be done before it was possible to raise the King’s remains. Carter defended it saying that the thieves would rip the mummy apart to remove the gold. So his men removed the mummy’s head and severed nearly major joint. Then they reassembled the remains on a layer of sand. They put the mummy in a wooden box.

Q. 4. “He was the last of his family line. ” What do you learn about Tut’s dynasty from the extract ‘Discovering Tut: The Saga Continues’?
Ans. Tut’s grandfather, Amenhotep III was a powerful Pharaoh who ruled for almost four decades at the height of the dynasty’s golden age. His son Amenhotep IV promoted the worship of the Aten, the sun disk. He changed his name to Akhenaten or ‘servant of the Aten. ’ He moved his religious capital from the old city Thebes to the new city of Akhenaten. He further shocked the country by attacking Amun, a major God, breaking his images and closing his temples. Thus, the wacky King started one of the strongest periods in the history of ancient Egypt. After Akhenaten’s death a mysterious ruler named Smenkhare appeared briefly and departed without leaving any sign. Then a very young Tutankhaten took the throne. He is widely known today as King Tut. The boy King soon changed his name to Tutankhamun ‘living image of Amun’. He supervised the restoration of the old ways. Tutankhamun ruled for about nine years and then died unexpectedly. The details of his passing away are not available. The modern world has speculated about what happened to him. How did he die and how old was he at the time of his death are two unanswered questions.

Q. 5. What light does the chapter throw on King Tut’s father or grandfather?
Ans. King Tut’s father or grandfather was a powerful Pharaoh. They ruled Egypt for 40 years at the height of the 18th dynasty’s golden age. His son Amenhotep IV succeeded him. He started certain changes. He promoted the worship of the Aten, the sun disk. He changed his name to Akhenaten, or ‘Servant of the Aten. ’ He also moved the capital from Thebes to Akhenaten. It is now known as Amarna. He shocked the country by breaking the images of Amun, a major God images and closing his temples. After Akhenaten’s death, Smenkhare ruled Egypt briefly. Then a very young Tutankhaten sat on the throne. He was the King Tut as known today. The boy King changed his name to Tutankhamun, ‘living image of Amun. ’ He restored old ways. He ruled for nine years and then died unexpectedly.